INDIANAPOLIS -- USA Track & Field on Thursday was named a finalist for two 2017 Shorty Awards, which recognize outstanding social media influencers, brands and organizations.

USATF is a Shorty Awards finalist in the categories of Best Multicultural Community Engagement for RunJumpThrow and Best Use of Emojis for the TRACKMOJIS app.

RunJumpThrow (RJT), created in partnership with The Hershey Company, is a free program that introduces the foundational skills of track and field to school-aged children, with a special emphasis on underserved communities.

Launched in 2015, RJT last year hit the benchmark of having reached 500,000 children. Included in the 2016 RJT program was a post-Rio “Victory Tour” with Olympic medalists that visited the metropolitan areas of New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

RunJumpThrowwas highlighted in national and local print media coverage that resulted in more than 37.8 million impressions and TV coverage that garnered 4 million impressions in 2016.

TRACKMOJIS, unveiled last summer before the Olympics, gives IOS users the ability to hurdle, raise the American flag or win a gold medal in text conversations with the fun app that has more than 300 track & field-inspired emojis. USATF released the Trackmoji App on July 27 through traditional consumer and fitness/lifestyle press and across social media channels.

Clickhere for the full list of Short Awards finalists. Winners will be announced on April 23 in New York City.

USATF Facebook graphics garner nod from PR News

Also announced Thursday, USATF’s Facebook campaign during the 2016 Olympic Games earned finalist honors in the 2017 PR News’ Social Media Awards.

USATF created original graphics in real time during the Rio Olympic Games to promote medalists and increase social engagement. The campaign resulted in a 7.5% increase in followers and over 19 million impressions.

The PR News’ Social Media Awards ceremony takes place May 2 in New York City. Clickhere to view all finalists.

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.